Management of patients in oral and maxillofacial surgery during the stage of crisis and subsequent control of COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The pandemic due to the new respiratory infection known as coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has triggered an unprecedented disruption in the normal activity of oral and maxillofacial surgery departments in Spain, delaying routine patient care and elective surgical interventions. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are one of the healthcare groups with the highest risk of nosocomial infection because of the close contact that occurs with asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection through the oral cavity and oropharynx. The purpose of this document has been to update the available evidence for the safe and effective management and treatment in outpatient clinic, ambulatory, elective and emergency surgeries, and hospitalization, while minimizing as much as possible the risk of infection for the oral and maxillofacial surgeon, health workers and patients. This document aims to clarify the most significant aspects and create a common protocol for the management of patients with COVID-19 in oral and maxillofacial surgery during the acute stage of spread and subsequent control of the pandemic in our country.